Solace
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: AU short oneshot. Set post 4x11. (Imagines Rumple to be Regina's father). Just a short scene between Belle and Regina after Rumple leaves.


_AU short oneshot. Set post 4x11. (Imagines Rumple to be Regina's father). Just a short scene between Belle and Regina after Rumple leaves. _

Belle sighs as the cold winter air whips around her. It's been two days since she sent Rumple away. Two days and it feels like a lifetime. She knows she made the right decision but unfortunately knowing that doesn't lift the heavy weight from her heart. It doesn't fill the empty space in her bed and her home.

Doing the right thing doesn't mean you don't suffer. She sent him over for the good of the town and for herself. Belle truly believed he was trying to change, giving him chance after chance and once again he chose power over love. She sighs again. They could have had it all, love, a family, happiness and he threw it all away. It angers her as much as it saddens her.

"Sorry Bae," she says aloud staring down at the cold marble stone.

She can hear footsteps coming up beside her and without even turning around she knows who it will be. "Belle," Regina says quietly as she stands there too, "How are you doing?"

Belle wishes there were an answer to that question, a good one anyway. She turns to her stepdaughter, a title that used to feel weird but now after so long has begun to fit. Regina's eyes are on the stone and Belle can see a tired sadness in them that she knows mirrors her own. They both shared goodbyes at the town line two days ago, neither of them were easy, goodbyes never are.

"I don't know," she answers eventually, "You?"

Regina can only shrug back, "I did the right thing."

"I keep telling myself that too," Belle admits.

"We did," Regina replies, "Even if it hurts."

"I'm sorry Regina," Belle says sorrowfully.

"What for?"

"He wasn't just my husband," Belle replies, "He was your father and I know you loved him too."

Regina scoffs, "Well it appears I'm fated to lose people I care about."

"That's awfully defeatist for you."

"It's true, I either let them or they want to leave me," she replies.

"Rumple loved you," Belle says. She hopes he did, likes to think he did.

Regina frowns before staring at her, "Did he? Because from what I know he wanted to leave town with you, kidnap my son and leave me behind. I think that says it all Belle."

Belle sighs wishing there was any sort of good answer for that but there isn't. All there is is the cold hard truth that they both know, Rumple lied to them both and even when him gone they must live with the consequences of his actions. At her lack of response Regina carries on, "At the end of the day Belle I wasn't enough for him. I wasn't Bae."

"If you feel like that then why did you come here?"

"Because it's not Bae's fault that I wasn't enough for Rumple."

"And….." Belle knows there's more. She can tell with Regina, it took them both a long time to get them but she knows Regina well enough to know there's more buried beneath the surface.

Regina sighs, "I never got to know my brother but I know he gave his life so our father could live. He died to save him and to be a hero. I guess I felt like he deserved to know that Rumple was gone."

"Me too," Belle says, "Even if I can't admit it to myself yet."

"Knowing Rumple he'll be back."

"I thought people couldn't cross back over," Belle replies in confusion.

"He always finds a way around these sorts of things."

Belle decides to let it slide. She recognises it as what she did yesterday, coming up with any sort of scenario in which Rumple could return to her with an apology and they could start over again. She sighs once more wondering if that could ever happen, if she'd even let him to let that happen. Right now she doubts it, the pain is too raw in her heart to let him waltz back into her life. She looks over at Regina and remembers something Rumple once told her.

"He was proud of you."

Regina whips her head around, "He had a funny way of showing it."

"He was," Belle says insistently, "I know he wasn't great at showing it but he told me once that he admired you because you were able to do what he couldn't. Even with the temptation of power after the curse you still tried to be better, to redeem yourself and you did. He was proud of you for choosing love."

"He could have done the same," Regina replies sadly, "It's not like he didn't have any opportunity for it. He had you. He had Bae. If he wanted he could have had me."

"I know," Belle says, "I know."

"For what it's worth I don't think he was trying to choose power. He was trying to get rid of it."

"What?"

"He wanted to cleave himself from the dagger."

"Then why couldn't he just tell me that?" Belle asks, "I'd have helped him find a way without all the lies and the secrecy and everything else. Maybe then we could all have been together."

"Maybe," Regina answers, "Maybe."

"I'm sorry he made you feel like you weren't enough," Belle says, "You didn't deserve that, not again."

"Neither did you."

Belle nods before reaching across to squeeze Regina's hand, "What do we do now Regina?"

Regina shrugs, "Be enough for each other Belle," she pauses, "If you want to talk or drink or anything you can come find me."

Belle smiles at her stepdaughter, "I'd like that."

They stand in silence for several more minutes before Belle finally lets the tear she'd been holding in slip free, "I miss him. I miss what we could have been." Regina nods in understanding before turning and pulling her in for a hesitant hug which Belle eventually returns letting herself find solace in the arms of her family.

_Thanks for reading :)_


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